


Game, Set,...Match?

by thecheekydragon



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: 2012 Olympics, M/M, Modern AU, POV Alternating, all england club, arthur is a tennis player, fest fic, men's doubles, merlin is a ball boy, merlinolympics, olympic village, tennis is a posh sport
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2017-11-25 06:12:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/635949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thecheekydragon/pseuds/thecheekydragon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which tennis hottie Ajay Pendragon absolutely does not lust after cute ball boy Merlin.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Game, Set,...Match?

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on LJ on August 6, 2012.
> 
> Written for [merlinolympics](http://merlinolympics.livejournal.com) fest on LJ.
> 
>  **Notes 1:** First off, I know next to nothing about tennis. I can only hope I was able to fudge may way through enough to be somewhat convincing. Also, thank you to Andy Murray of Team GB and Roger Federer of Team Switzerland (who won Gold and Silver, respectively, in the Men’s Singles) for letting me “borrow” some stats and various details, assuredly done in the name of artistic liberty. Please also note that, in producing this fictional work, absolutely no disrespect was intended toward the actual athletes who competed in tennis at the Olympics, especially Julian Benneteau and Richard Gasquet of Team France who actually won Bronze in the Men’s Doubles. 
> 
> **Notes 2:** Various  links have been provided throughout the fic for some extra fun. Go ahead and click on them! You know you want to.

**Friday, July 27, 2012**  
 _The Dragon’s Breath Youth Hostel, Room 12_

“Happy birthday, mate,” Will said to him, handing Merlin a chocolate vanilla frosted [cupcake](http://imageshack.us/a/img256/5030/birthdaycupcake.jpg), a lit candle poking from its center. “Make a wish.”

It seemed to Merlin that he was too old now to be making birthday wishes, but he closed his eyes anyway, conjured up some good thoughts, then blew out the candle.

Will, the twat, hooted and clapped. “I’d ask you what you wished for,” he said with a smirk, “but we all know it had something to do with a certain blonde tennis hottie by the name of Arthur J. – call me ‘Ajay’ – Pendragon,” he teased.

“It did not,” Merlin claimed, though it did – sort of.

“It did too,” Will continued to needle, giving Merlin that irritating knowing look. “Pendragon has been the star of your wet dreams and wishes since puberty.” Will flicked him a wink. “And now you’re here and you’ll get to see him live and in the flesh.”

“I’m a ball boy,” Merlin said, suddenly feeling cranky. “I may not even be assigned to any of his matches.” He would not tell Will that this detail may have figured prominently in the birthday wish he had just made.

Will grinned. “If not, you still have the chance to meet him in person. That’s better than rubbing up against his posters and jerking off to his dvr-ed matches, right?” Will waggled his eyebrows and Merlin contemplated throwing the cupcake at him. Instead, he plucked out the candle, peeled back the paper, and shoved half of it into his mouth.

“I only have _one_ [poster](http://imageshack.us/a/img215/7880/pendragonpostercopy.jpg),” he mumbled around a mouthful of cake. Will, the bastard, guffawed. Merlin pretended that Will didn’t know about the pile of Tennis Life and [Tennis mags](http://imageshack.us/a/img834/279/tennismag.jpg) he had stashed away, the ones in which Ajay Pendragon was predominantly featured.

It was true Merlin was a bit of a tennis fan, in particular a fan of twenty-four year old Arthur J. Pendragon who, as Will mentioned, preferred to be called Ajay. There were all kinds of speculations about why this was, with Merlin accepting the most popular one – that it was Pendragon’s way of asserting some independence from his father, who had started managing Ajay’s tennis career when the boy, at the age of seven, had shown talent with a ball and racket.

Merlin had been ten when he started following Ajay Pendragon’s singles and doubles career. He knew just about everything about him. He was five-foot-ten (and a half, according to his official website)-inches tall, weighed a lean muscular 167 pounds, played right-handed and had an impressive one-handed backswing. He had started his competitive career when he was sixteen, capturing solid victories and catching the attention of tennis fans worldwide. As a singles player, Ajay Pendragon was currently ranked number four in the world (his doubles ranking was a respectable twenty-five), his career record at 345-114. He had so far captured twenty-two ATP titles, had made the finals in three Grand Slams and had put in a strong effort at the 2008 Games in Beijing (he had gotten knocked out in the Second Round and Merlin, at twelve, had been devastated). 

As well, Merlin knew which racket the man favoured ([Prince EX03 Tour 100](http://imageshack.us/a/img821/4558/px03.jpg)), the shoes he usually wore ([Nike Lunar Vapor 8 Tour](http://imageshack.us/a/img571/5908/nikelunarvapor8tour.jpg) in white and red), the style of clothes he sported on the court (his preference leaned to toward Nike and Adidas with the occasional Wilson), and even which brand of aftershave happened to be his favourite ([Lanvin L’homme Sport](http://imageshack.us/a/img339/7504/lanvinsport.jpg)). Ajay Pendragon had also consistently been named to the Top Five List of Best Dressed Tennis Players, an honour he humbly acknowledged though he was more than happy to concede the top spot to Switzerland’s Roger Federer. 

On the court, Ajay Pendragon was a true gentleman. He never lost his cool and he never swore, instead using words like “fudge”, “fiddlesticks”, and “farfegnugen”, which Merlin (and many others) found ridiculously adorable. He was an honourable winner and a graceful loser. 

He knew also that Pendragon’s tennis talent and career were basically a family affair. His mother Ygraine had been a [phenomenal tennis player](http://imageshack.us/a/img688/5711/ygrainpendragon.jpg) who had participated in the Women’s Singles matches at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles when tennis had returned to the Olympics as a demonstration sport. Tennis was included as an official medal sport in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul but Ygraine Pendragon had been pregnant with her son at that time and had not been able to compete. Sadly, she died shortly after Ajay was born and had never gotten the chance to compete for Olympic medal glory. 

Ajay’s father, the impressively intimidating Uther Pendragon, was a businessman who coached and managed most aspects of his son’s sports career and, many would say, his personal life. Ajay’s sister, Dr. Morgana Pendragon, acted as Ajay’s personal sports medic and primary moral supporter and was rumoured to be romantically involved with her brother’s best friend and doubles partner, Lance du Lac. 

On the ATP Tour, Ajay and his supporting family members were often referred to (both spiritedly and wryly) as “Team Pendragon” with du Lac, not having a family entourage of his own, comprising an integral part of the team. Ajay Pendragon might have had a successful singles career, but he was very much a team player and this was one of the things Merlin admired about him the most. 

And now Merlin was at the Games of the XXX Olympiad in London, having earned a spot as a ball boy for the tennis matches as part of the Youth Games Maker Program. Will had applied to be a volunteer under the same program and had been assigned to a job selling Olympic merchandise. Both of their mums had pooled their resources to help fund their sons’ stay at a youth hostel for the two weeks of the Games and Merlin and Will had done their best to save their money from each of their after-school jobs in order to lessen the burden. 

It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for both of them. An opportunity which meant Merlin had the chance to serve as a ball boy during one of Ajay Pendragon’s matches with the possibility that he might even end up meeting the man himself! 

“Come on,” Will said abruptly, yanking Merlin out of his momentary reverie. “We better get going if we’re gonna hope to catch the Opening Ceremonies. It’ll take at least an hour on the train from here.”

Merlin licked frosting from his fingers and grabbed his backpack. The [Dragon’s Breath](http://imageshack.us/a/img338/4158/dragonsbreathhostel.jpg), the hostel they were staying at, was in South Kensington, about midway between Olympic Park and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, the two venues he and Will would need to be at for the next two weeks. 

As he followed Will out of their [small but clean room](http://imageshack.us/a/img444/6264/dragonsbreathroom12.jpg) on route to the Opening Ceremonies, all Merlin could do was grin like an idiot, thinking: what a way to celebrate his sixteenth birthday.

**Saturday, July 28, 2012**  
 _The Dragon’s Breath Youth Hostel, Room 12_

Merlin couldn’t believe his luck. It was like the Mount Olympus gods themselves were favouring him, truly.

He had been given his ball runner (he preferred this term to “ball boy”) assignments for the First Round Men’s Singles and Men’s Doubles matches for both the Saturday and Sunday and was ecstatic to find that his assignments included being a base runner in the Kanen vs Pendragon singles match and being a net runner in the Pendragon/du Lac vs Hengist/Myror doubles match!

Merlin was beaming from ear to ear as he dressed in his ball runner gear, aware that Will was watching him, smirking, getting set to tease.

“Piss off,” Merlin told him before Will could get started, though not even Will’s teasing could put a damper on Merlin’s spirits today.

Will lifted his hands, palms out, to profess his innocence but he continued to smirk nonetheless.

Merlin gave him a middle-finger salute and quickly grabbed his backpack. He had to catch the bloody train to the All England Club in less than five minutes!

Will waited until Merlin was dashing out the door of their small shared room before yelling out loudly, “Have fun touching Pendragon’s balls!”

Merlin winced then grinned. Will was such a twat.

_FIRST ROUND Men’s Singles, Kanen vs Pendragon, No. 2 Court_

Merlin tried to contain his jubilation. He was on [No. 2 Court](http://imageshack.us/a/img594/9738/court2.jpg) of the All England Lawn Tennis Club – the grounds of _Wimbledon_! –running ball at base at the _London Olympics_. For _Ajay Pendragon_. Well, technically, for Joseph Kanen of France too, but Pendragon _was_ Merlin’s ultimate favourite.

Merlin resolved that he was not going to let himself be distracted by the excitement or by tennis hottie (as Will was fond of calling him) Ajay Pendragon, wanting to perform his duties as ball runner in his first ever Olympic tennis match to the best of his abilities. He had worked hard to get a spot as a ball runner (those skills drills had been tough and training had been equally gruelling) and he didn’t want to embarrass himself by fumbling his way through the match.

But still. He was on a court at the All England Club with _Ajay Pendragon_.

**

It was Ajay’s turn to serve. He tossed the ball up and hit it soundly to the other side of the net. Two returns from Kanen, Ajay winning the point on his second return. The game was now 30-love. 

The base on the server’s corner bounced him a new ball. Ajay found his attention drawn to long legs, a lean torso, and a pale stretch of neck, with impressive cheekbones, bright blue eyes and dark messed hair adding the final breath-taking touch.

 _Hello cute ball boy_.

Ajay felt the stir of arousal and quickly shook it off, attempting to steer his concentration back to the game at hand. He prepared to serve again.

**

Merlin returned to his ready position, feeling a blush creeping up his neck. Had it been his imagination or had Ajay Pendragon’s gaze lingered for a bit as Merlin had fed him the ball? Clearly, it must have been his imagination because players did not notice ball runners. Ball boys and girls were seen but never _noticed_ , the status gap between player and ball kid so wide as to generally preclude even basic acknowledgement (Merlin had once been hit by a returned ball that had had enough force behind it that it’s sting had brought tears to his eyes; even then the offending player had carried on as though he had struck a lamppost instead of a person.) And even though Merlin had never served as a ball runner at a tournament like Wimbledon or at a venue like the All England Club, he was still used to going completely unnoticed.

But as the match played out, Merlin was beginning to believe he hadn’t imagined it. A few times more Ajay Pendragon’s gaze seemed to settle on and linger over him as Merlin bounced a ball to the tennis superstar. (At one point, Merlin became giddy and kept replaying Will’s comment about touching Pendragon’s balls over in his head.) And he could have sworn Ajay Pendragon actually smiled at him when Merlin let out a soft chuckle at Pendragon’s use of combined f-words (“Fiddle-far-fudge-fugen!”) after a particularly rotten play on his part that had lost him a crucial game in the second set.

Merlin performed his ball runner tasks dutifully (he got to hand Ajay Pendragon a towel twice and was even asked to fetch him a bottle of water) but found himself easily caught up in watching Pendragon play. He was a strong and graceful player, his movements fluid, smooth and powerful. Pendragon was a skilled and talented athlete but, more importantly, he looked like he _enjoyed_ playing – that it wasn’t just an athletic effort and show to achieve victory. Ajay Pendragon played tennis for the love of the game. And this is what had always impressed Merlin about the man.

**  
PENDRAGON 6-3 | 5-7 | 6-3 KANEN 

In the end, Ajay won the match but it had taken three sets to achieve the win. It should have been a much easier victory (with Kanen ranked 48th in the ATP World Rankings) and as soon as he stepped off the court, Ajay knew he would be hearing about it from his father.

Uther Pendragon didn’t even wait for Ajay to finish up in the players’ locker room. He came waltzing in as Ajay was pulling on a clean shirt over his towel-dried torso.

“You’ve got to keep your head in the game, Arthur,” his father commanded, and Ajay had to wonder where his father thought his head was at. He had waited four years to compete again in the Olympics. His head was completely in the game and fixed on winning a medal this time around. “If you want to capture gold, you cannot afford to be distracted.”

“I’m not distracted,” Ajay immediately countered. He thought about the cute ball boy and inwardly flushed. It wasn’t as if he had been _distracted_ by the boy. Not much anyway. And surely, his father hadn’t taken notice of _that_.

His father gave him a long look. “Just be certain you stay that way,” he said finally then departed.

**Sunday, July 29, 2012**  
 _FIRST ROUND Men’s Singles, Valiante vs Dagr, Court 7_

Ajay had a front row seat [Court 7](http://imageshack.us/a/img708/6312/court7.jpg) for the 11:30 match between Roberto Valiante of Italy and Ebor Dagr of Norway. He wasn’t due to compete until his 5:30 doubles match so he had figured he would relax some and take in a couple tennis matches. Besides, it never hurt to see what you might be up against, even if he was familiar with most of the players here, having competed against most of them on the ATP tour.

He hadn’t been expecting to see the cute ball boy from his match yesterday at the net position, affording Ajay a pleasant view of his round and pert backside.

 _Nice_. 

Ajay was so engrossed in watching the ball boy perform his duties that he didn’t notice Morgana had slid into the seat next to him.

“Sizing up your competition?” she asked, leaning into him.

Ajay’s attention never wavered. He kept it firmly fixed on a certain lanky figure with a pert little behind, his “competition” forming a part of the background.

He heard Morgana sigh. “You’re ogling that ball boy, aren’t you?”

Ajay allowed his attention to finally stray. He turned to his sister. “I am shocked and offended, Morgana, that you would think that I am such a pervert that I would be ogling some hot young ball boy,” Ajay said with as much indignant conviction as he could muster.

Morgana cocked a perfect eyebrow at him.

Ajay rolled his eyes. His sister knew him too well. “Yeah. Okay. I’m ogling. ”

Morgana looked out toward the court at the ball boy on net. “Is he even legal?”

Ajay shrugged. He sure hoped so. Otherwise, his ogling was dangerously close to being perving and Ajay was not a pervert. Not much anyway.

“Why don’t you talk to the boy and find out?” Morgana suggested. “Beats perving from a distance.”

Although Morgana’s suggestion sounded reasonable, Ajay wasn’t sure he would be able to do anything but perve from a distance. The whole world may have figured him for some kind of dashing playboy but, in reality, Arthur J. Pendragon was a bit of a social mess. He was sure he could be easily intimidated by a (hopefully) sixteen year old kid with a pert behind and fantastic cheekbones. “What would I talk about?” he lamented. 

Morgana rolled her eyes and sighed her exasperation. “Gee, I don’t know, Ajay,” she remarked wryly. “How about _tennis_?”

Ajay chose to ignore her and, deciding to heed his father’s words of not letting himself be distracted, he forced himself to pay attention to the match, figuring he probably should “size up his competition”. Both Valiante of Italy and Dagr of Norway were formidable opponents and, conceivably, he could be facing either one of them in the Second Round. It would be strategically smart to scope out their strengths and weaknesses.

“Out!” he heard the umpire call out sharply.

Ajay saw Dagr instinctively return the shot. It was what most of them did. Instead of just keeping the returned ball for his next serve as many players would have, he watched as Valiante lobbed the ball carelessly to the sideline. The net, the one whose pert arse Ajay had been ogling, instantly shot his body sideways, his arm stretched out, catching the ball securely in his hand ([like this incredible catch by the ball boy at Australian Open](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjyfMCTAqKU))

It was an impressive catch and the crowd rewarded it with cheers and applause. To his credit, the ball boy did not react to the crowd’s cheering. He quickly returned to his ready position, waiting to roll the ball down the sideline to the girl at base until after a point was made. 

While any other player might have given the ball boy a nod to acknowledge such an impressive move, Ajay couldn’t help notice that Valiante completely ignored it (though Dagr gave the boy a thumbs up) and appeared almost offended that the boy had momentarily stolen the crowd’s attention. What a farfegnob.

Morgana leaned into him again. “Wow. Impressive,” she said then grinned. “I guess you’ve just been handed your conversation starter.”

VALIANTE 6-4 | 6-4 DAGR 

As soon as the match ended - Valiante defeating Dagr with two sets – Ajay shot out of his seat and went after the boy ball.

“Hey!” he called after the boy, trying to catch him before he got lost in the crowd and disappeared beyond the court. When Ajay caught up to him, he reached out and grabbed the boy’s arm. The boy turned, surprised, beautiful blue eyes locking on Ajay. 

“Um, hi!” Ajay said, perhaps a little too enthusiastically. He scratched the back of his neck, beginning to feel awkward. Did he really just accost the cute ball boy in the midst of Court 7? He grinned to temper the awkwardness and tried again. “Hi. I’m, uh...” he started by way of introduction.

“Ajay Pendragon,” the boy supplied, continuing to stare, his jaw slack and his lips slightly parted. That was definitely an image Ajay would hold on to. 

“Yeah,” Ajay said, running his fingers nervously through his hair now. He waited a respectable moment for the boy to say something in return but it seemed nothing was going to be forthcoming. Ajay chuckled. “Okay. So now I think it’s _your_ turn to tell me _your_ name,” he teased.

The boy blushed and Ajay felt his insides tumble. He was in trouble. Big time.

“Yeah. Right. Okay,” the boy said, fumbling his words and shaking his head. “Um, Merlin,” he offered. “My name is Merlin.”

“Well, Merlin,” Ajay said, relieved that Merlin seemed to be as much of a social mess as he was. “That was an impressive catch you made there.”

“Oh. Thanks,” Merlin mumbled, suddenly taking an interest in his trainers. He flicked a shy glance up from under long, dark lashes and Ajay knew he was done for. “’m big fan,” he added, still mumbling.

“Oh. That’s great. Good. I mean, thanks,” Ajay said, feeling ridiculously tongue-tied. It was those blue eyes. And lashes. And cheekbones. And plump, pink lips. He decided to change tactics. “So Merlin...Would you like to get a Gatorade at Cafe Pergola with me?” Ajay asked. 

Fiddlesticks. Gatorade? _Really?_ He cursed himself, visualizing Morgana at his side, giving him a smack upside the head. 

Merlin grinned and it was the most dazzling thing Ajay had ever seen. But then Merlin’s mouth turned upside down and Ajay thought for sure the cute ball boy had decided he was a Big Time Pervert whose MO was to seduce teenagers with electrolyte kool-aid. 

Merlin flicked a self-conscious glance down at his clothes and said somewhat ruefully, “Um, am I okay like this?”

Ajay took in the boy’s official Olympic logo-ed t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes – all of which were clean and tennis-y looking. Not much different than his own, if you discounted that Merlin had been doing ball boy duties not that long ago and might have broken a sweat whereas Ajay had been simply enjoying the view.

“You’re perfect,” Ajay told him then found himself blushing. Thankfully, Merlin didn’t seem to notice and Ajay was glad to see the boy visibly relax. 

“Okay,” he said, blowing out a breath – in relief or out of nerves, Ajay wasn’t quite sure. Either way, it was charming.

“Okay then,” echoed Ajay, grinning. 

He gave Morgana a mental thank you (which he’d follow up later with a text) and directed Merlin toward the Cafe, which was just outside of the bounds of Court 7.

_[Cafe Pergola](http://imageshack.us/a/img41/8841/cafepergola.jpg), Wimbledon Grounds_

He was sitting at a teak wood table on the patio of Cafe fucking Pergola with Arthur-fucking J-Pendragon, sipping fucking Gatorade. 

Well, not really. They were actually having fruit smoothies – a [strawberry smoothie](http://imageshack.us/a/img801/3636/strawberrysmoothie.jpg) for Merlin and a [banana smoothie](http://imageshack.us/a/img841/1549/bananasmoothie.jpg) for Ajay Pendragon.

It was the closest thing to heaven Merlin had ever imagined.

“I’m not taking you away from anything, am I?” Ajay Pendragon suddenly asked, a questioning furrow appearing between his brows. Merlin thought it was bloody adorable.

Merlin marvelled at how the tennis player sat back in his chair, looking happy and relaxed, despite the bustle of the crowd around them. Already Ajay had been approached by some young fans whom he’d obliged with a quick photo and autographs. Merlin wished he had the nerve to ask Ajay for one too.

He shook his head. “Four o’clock singles match and five-thirty doubles match,” Merlin said. “Um, yours actually,” he added and then cursed himself for blushing.

“Back to back ball running,” Ajay said, looking impressed. “They’re keeping you on your toes.”

Merlin shrugged. “It’s okay. It can get tiring but I like doing it. Especially here at the Olympics.”

Ajay took a drink of his smoothie. “You run ball regularly then?”

“Just for the Mercia Tennis Club,” Merlin replied. “No big time venues or championships.” Merlin inwardly winced, thinking how lame this must sound to Ajay Pendragon who had played all over the world. 

But if the tennis player thought it lame, he didn’t show it. Instead, he leaned forward in his chair, looking (unbelievable as it was) interested. “Is that where you’re from? Mercia?”

Merlin shook his head. “I’m from a little town called Ealdor,” he told him. “About forty kilometres outside of Mercia. It doesn’t have a tennis club,” he added. Or any kind of place where one could play tennis, Merlin thought, unless you were to set up some kind of make-shift court in your backyard. Which Merlin absolutely hadn’t tried with Will’s help.

Ajay hummed a response then asked another question. “So do you play or just ball run?”

“I play a little, on the Mercia Courts,” Merlin answered. “If I can find someone to play with. The auto-ball machine gets to be boring pretty quick,” he added. Now why had Merlin told him that? Lame, lame, lame.

Ajay raised an eyebrow. “You don’t have friends who play?”

“All my friends are from Ealdor,” Merlin said, trying to stave off the blush he felt rising. “And most of them think tennis is a bit of a posh sport.” He felt the heat settling across his cheekbones and inwardly grimaced. Fuck.

To his surprise, Ajay Pendragon chuckled. “Well, that it is,” he conceded good-naturedly and Merlin found himself grinning.

They spent another forty minutes talking about how Merlin came to be a ball runner at the London Olympics (Merlin explained to Ajay how he had been selected after trials held at the Mercia Community Centre, which had involved some pretty intense skills drills) and Ajay commenting again on Merlin’s impressive catch from Valiante’s haphazard knock-off.

“It was nothing really,” Merlin tried to tell him. “Just a fluke.” And it had been. Merlin had simply reacted and had gotten lucky. It hadn’t involved any real skill or talent.

“The crowd and Dagr were sure impressed,” Ajay insisted. “Of course, Valiante didn’t like the attention shifting away from him,” he added with a grin.

“Valiante’s a good player,” Merlin said, “—not as good as _you_ ,” he hastily corrected, which seemed to pull a smile from Ajay, “but his sportsmanship is...ehn.”

“Ehn?” Ajay repeated, grinning, obviously amused.

Merlin grinned back. “Yeah. Ehn. It’s the technical term for ‘needs improvement’.”

“Of course it is,” Ajay said, giving Merlin a wink that made his knees go weak and his dick perk up.

 _Best. Day. Ever._

And it still wasn’t over yet.

_FIRST ROUND Men’s Doubles, Pendragon/du Lac vs Hengist/Myror,[Court18](http://imageshack.us/a/img7/4808/court18.jpg)_

Ajay and Lance were able to clinch the match victory in two sets against the Hungarians Hengist and Myror, with Ajay only minimally distracted by Merlin who did a fine job of ball running at net. Still, he couldn’t help but wink and smile at the boy during the match, delighting in the way pink dusted over Merlin’s cheekbones as the blush settled. 

His father, at least, had seemed pleased by the win, giving Ajay a short nod in acknowledgement of the victory as he left the seating area of the court. Ajay was just glad he wasn’t going to be getting another lecture from Uther about staying undistracted and keeping his head in the game.

PENDRAGON/DU LAC 6-3 | 6-4 HENGIST/MYROR 

_The Dragon’s Breath Youth Hostel, Room 12_

Merlin was stretched out on his back on the top bunk, exhausted and exhiliarated, when Will returned to their little living space. He tossed his backpack onto the bottom bunk and flopped down on the mattress.

“I never want to see the Olympic logo or Union Jack on another stuffed toy, mug, or t-shirt ever again,” his friend grumbled.

“There’s still two weeks to go,” Merlin reminded him. 

“Fuck off.”

Merlin laughed.

“What about you, ball boy?” Will asked crankily from below. “Still eager to get your hands on Pendragon’s balls?”

“Yep,” replied Merlin then (because, dammit, he’d burst if he didn’t share his news with Will already) blurted out, “I shared a smoothie with Ajay-fucking-Pendragon at Cafe-bloody-Pergola this afternoon.” He leaned over the side of his bunk to catch Will’s stunned reaction. “I mean, we didn’t _share_ a smoothie – he had banana and I had strawberry--” Merlin blathered, “but we actually sat together on the patio and talked for over an hour!”

“Shut the fuck up,” Will expressed, rolling off his bed and climbing up onto Merlin’s. He gave Merlin a friendly shove and told him to “spill it”.

So Merlin told Will all about his day, including the one-off catch he had made during the Valiante/Dagr match which had somehow captured Ajay Pendragon’s attention, how Ajay Pendragon had (unbelievably) caught up to him after the match and had asked if Merlin wanted to get a Gatorade with him (“Fucking Gatorade, dude?” Will commented, laughing.), how they had spent an hour and a half talking about Merlin’s catch and about being a ball runner, and about tennis being a posh sport (“You actually said that?” Will exclaimed, giving Merlin a look of new-found respect.). Then he went on to detail for Will the doubles match he had netted for and how Ajay Pendragon had smiled and winked at him like they were good friends.

“Well, fuck me,” said Will at the end of Merlin’s story-telling. “At this rate,” he said, ruffling Merlin’s hair teasingly, “you’ll be touching Pendragon’s _other_ balls in no time flat.”

Merlin snorted and gave Will a shove, his cheeks burning. 

Will, the scoundrel, waggled his eyebrows. “Dude, you got to get yourself invited to Pendragon’s room next,” he told Merlin. “They say it’s one big bonkathon in Olympic Village. Each athlete supposedly gets fifteen condoms when they check in.” Will grinned lasciviously. “You’re gonna need to get in there before Pendragon uses all his up.”

Merlin groaned, his blush now a deep red. “Like that’s gonna happen,” he muttered to deflect the inane jealously that had cropped up from the vivid and crushing images of Ajay Pendragon making quick use of fifteen bloody condoms. Which probably had the bloody Olympic logo on them, Merlin thought with sudden crankiness.

Will raised an eyebrow. “You didn’t even think you’d get to meet him and you’re already hanging out and sharing smoothies with the bloke.”

Will had a point. But, still. Anything remotely related to _sex_ with Ajay Pendragon somehow seemed _very_ improbable.

_Olympic Village, Heritage Block One, Building One, Floor Seven, Apartment 25, Room B_

Ajay and Lance had elected to stay in [Olympic Village](http://imageshack.us/a/img826/8586/athletesvillage.jpg), the housing site for athletes participating in the Games, instead of opting to stay at a luxury hotel nearer to the All England Club. There had been much talk about the fanfare and wantonness of Olympic Village living - what had American swimmer Ryan Lochte claimed, [that 70 to 75 percent of the athletes here would probably be having sex?](http://www.neatorama.com/2012/07/14/sex-in-the-olympic-village/) – but Lance and Ajay, who hadn’t stayed at Olympic Village in Beijing, wanted to get the full Olympic experience this time around. Besides, if it was good enough for Rafael Nadal (unfortunately, the Spanish tennis player had had to pull out of the Olympics at the last moment due to a knee injury, which Ajay was very disappointed about) to have wanted to stay at, it was good enough for Ajay Pendragon and Lance du Lac. Staying in the Village also had the added bonus of rattling Ajay’s father, so it was a win-win all around.

They were lucky enough to get an apartment with only two bedrooms, accommodating four athletes total, instead of one accommodating six or eight athletes. Lance and Ajay were sharing [Room B](http://imageshack.us/a/img715/8792/apt25roomb.jpg) while footballers Gwaine Knight and Percy Strong were sharing Room A. Since arriving, Ajay hadn’t seen much of the footy players, who seemed to spend a majority of their ‘down time’ in [_The Globe_](http://imageshack.us/a/img542/6005/theglobe.jpg), having drinks, playing pool, and causing mischief. Ajay would not judge - they were both phenomenal players. So long as they got up to mischief in relative peace and quiet, they were welcome to do whatever they wanted. 

It was when they were getting changed into their sleep wear that Ajay decided to throw the question at Lance.

“Is it wrong to lust after some cute young ball boy?”

“Depends on whether said ball boy is over the age of sixteen,” Lance replied, pulling on a well-worn t-shirt. “If no, then yes. If yes, then no.”

Ajay slipped on sleep pants. “Yeah,” he said distractedly, wondering how he might work a question about age into his next conversation with Merlin. 

Lance laughed and clapped Ajay on the shoulder. “Cute ball boy with the pert backside who netted at our doubles match today?” he guessed, eyebrows raised.

“Ah, so you noticed he had a pert backside,” Ajay said, hoping his father wasn’t as observant as his doubles partner. Otherwise Ajay was sure to be chastised for allowing himself to be ‘distracted’.

“And incredible cheekbones,” Lance added, grinning. 

Ajay pulled back the Olympic-themed duvet of his singles bed. “Bought him a smoothie at Cafe Pergola this afternoon,” he told Lance. “Interesting kid.”

“So it’s not just his pert backside you’re charmed by,” Lance commented, pulling back his own covers and getting into bed. Ajay was sure Lance would have preferred to be in Morgana’s bed at the luxurious [Cannizaro House](http://imageshack.us/a/img593/706/cannizarohouse.jpg) hotel near Wimbledon, but he seemed content enough to be sharing a room in the Village with Ajay. 

“You should have seen the catch he made at the Valiante/Dagr match,” Ajay said, replaying the impressive catch over in his mind. Merlin had said it had been nothing but sheer fluke but Ajay had thought it had been an impressive show of athleticism on the boy’s part. 

“Got any talent playing?” Lance asked.

“Don’t know,” Ajay mused. Merlin had said he only played recreationally and on occasion.

“You should find out,” his friend said, turning and flicking off the bedside lamp. 

Ajay did the same. Maybe he’d ask Merlin if he wanted to come to practice and swing a racket around with him. At least that sounded better than inviting him for another round of fruit smoothies, he thought wryly. 

Ajay made note that it was a quarter to three in the morning when he heard the sounds of the footy players finally stumbling in from [_The Globe_](http://imageshack.us/a/img688/7346/theglobepoolhall.jpg). To their credit, there was only one distinctive vocal swear word uttered when one of them – Gwaine, he thought - jabbed a knee into the coffee table in the apartment lounge.

He rolled onto his side and fell quickly back to sleep.

**Monday, July 30, 2012**

MUIRDEN 4-6 | 1-6 PENDRAGON 

Ajay had been disappointed to find that Merlin wasn’t on ball running duty for his noon singles match against Muirden of Finland, but he supposed it had helped him to be less distracted (not that he was distracted, no matter what his father said) and enabled him to achieve victory more easily, taking two sets to win the match. After he gave the press outside [Court 17](http://imageshack.us/a/img138/2882/court17.jpg) a few elated snippets about moving onto the Third Round, showering and changing clothes, he thought he’d try and find the cute ball boy and maybe invite him to have another smoothie or even lunch before Ajay had to get ready for his 7:30 doubles match.

Thankfully, Ajay had managed to get a copy of the daily schedule with the ball runner assignments and took note that the 1:00 match on [Court 19](http://imageshack.us/a/img521/1773/court19.jpg) Merlin was serving at should be just about finishing. Ajay headed in that direction and actually found Merlin dodging the crowd on [St. Mary’s Walk](http://imageshack.us/a/img191/3460/stmaryswalk.jpg), heading toward Lavazza, the cafe next to [No. 1 Court](http://imageshack.us/a/img860/915/court1.jpg) on the grounds of [Aorangi Terrace](http://imageshack.us/a/img88/9171/aorangiterrace.jpg). Ajay grinned. The kid must need a caffeine fix badly after that last ball running match.

**

Merlin was surprised when Ajay Pendragon suddenly appeared on the path next to him. It wasn’t unsual for tennis players to mill about the Wimbledon grounds freely but this was the Olympics and Henman Hill was alight with fans. Ajay would be lucky if he wasn’t recognized within thirty seconds and the shrill squeeing started. 

“Are you stalking me?” Merlin teased boldly.

“Are you going for a high-voltage caffeine fix?” Ajay returned, smiling.

Merlin laughed. “Yeah, just ran my arse off at a Women’s Singles Match and need some java to kick-start my energy again.” He turned toward Ajay. “You want anything?”

Ajay shook his head and then moved off to the side as Merlin queued for caffeine. Merlin ordered one of [Lavazza’s specialties](http://imageshack.us/a/img706/9823/lavazzaspecialties.jpg) \- iced latte in a take-out cup, and then he and Ajay continued along the path toward the Pavilion, surprisingly catching only a few starstruck glances from fans in the crowd who obviously recognized the tennis player.

They walked around the Pavilion in the direction of the practice courts, following a path lined with a few teak pergolas sheltering benches, where the crowd lessened in number until they were practically the only people on the path. Merlin drank his latte, basking in the fact that he was walking alongside Ajay Pendragon. 

“So Merlin...” Ajay finally said, running a hand across the back of his neck. They had stopped on the path near one of the pergolas. “Look, I was wondering...,”Ajay continued, “I mean, how...”. Ajay sighed and Merlin raised an eyebrow at him. The man seemed to be struggling with his words. “How,” he began again then, “Oh, fiddlefudgenuggets! I’m just going to come out and ask you,” he apparently decided and looked Merlin squarely in the eyes. “How old are you?”

The question came as a surprise. Merlin supposed he was expecting Ajay to ask him something more – well, he didn’t know what, but it wasn’t this. “Sixteen,” he replied.

Ajay puffed out a breath. “Sixteen. Okay. Good,” he returned, nodding. “Lance says I’m not a pervert then.”

“What?” 

“You’re sixteen,” Ajay said, as though whatever he was saying made sense. 

“Yeah,” Merlin confirmed, allowing himself a grin. “I turned sixteen three days ago. On the day of the Opening Ceremonies.”

Ajay Pendragon stared at him for a moment. “You _just turned sixteen_?” he asked, eyes wide, his mouth hanging open in a ridiculously adorable O. 

“Um, yeah,” he replied slowly, not sure what the big deal was. The average ball kid was sixteen, although there were ball runners serving at the Olympics ranging in age from fourteen to eighteen. 

Ajay huffed out another breath then began sucking in air and letting it out in rapid succession. He put a hand to his hip and bent over slightly, as though trying to catch his breath.

“Are you hyper _ventilating_?” Merlin asked, staring at Ajay’s bizarre behaviour with both shock and concern. 

“No. Yes. Kind of,” Ajay answered, straightening up, attempting to get his erratic breathing under control.

“Uh, _why_?”

“Because you _just turned sixteeen_ ,” Ajay said, throwing his hands up for emphasis.

Merlin couldn’t hold in the chuckle that had risen along with his building hysteria. “Okay. And why is turning sixteen making you hyperventilate?” He knew he was obviously missing something, but fuck if he knew what it was. 

“Because _four_ days ago, you were _fifteen_ ,” was Ajay’s reply. It didn’t help Merlin any.

“Yeah...”

“And fifteen makes me a pervert.”

“W-what?” Merlin still couldn’t make any sense out of what Ajay was saying. Fifteen. Sixteen. Pervert. Oh. _Oh._ Oh? 

**

Ajay raised his eyebrows at Merlin as dawning (but confused) realization seemed to set in. “Fancying a ‘just turned sixteen’ year old may be considered a tad bit perverted,” he explained, grimacing slightly at the use of any word containing ‘pervert’ in it. 

“ _Fancying_?” 

“Yes, Merlin,” Ajay said, amused by how incredulous the boy looked. He clearly had no idea of how charmingly alluring he was. “Fancying. As in ‘want to kiss you very badly but fear it’s considered perving because you’ve only been _legal_ for three days ’,” he expanded further, taking delight in the way Merlin’s blue eyes grew wide, his pupils dilating. Fiddlesticks. The boy was making it difficult for Ajay not to fall hard. 

**

Merlin stared at the tennis player that featured in his deepest fantasies. _Ajay Pendragon wanted to kiss him_?

“Sixteen is sixteen,” he said, his mind muddled with teenage lust. “Whether for three days or three hundred da--”

Ajay grabbed the front of his shirt and backed him up against the teak pergola. His warm, dry lips met Merlin’s, sending Merlin’s mind into a tailspin. He had kissed a boy or two in his teenaged life but this was _Ajay fucking Pendragon_. Merlin barely managed to prevent his weakened knees from giving out and making him slide down the pergola helplessly.

Ajay let go of Merlin’s shirt and stepped back, blowing out a heavy breath. “Sorry about that,” Ajay apologized, fingers raking shakily through his hair. “I shouldn’t have--”

“—No!” Merlin said, trying to come down from the incredible high that had nothing to do with the latte he had been drinking. Only now did he notice that he had let the cup drop to the ground when Ajay had kissed him. He picked it up and looked around for a rubbish bin. “It’s okay. I mean, I—I didn’t really...mind.” He felt the blush start to spread across his cheekbones and added, “Kinda liked it, actually.” Merlin grinned then hiccupped, certain he was on the verge of hysteria.

Ajay chuckled. “Me too,” he said, smiling. He looked at Merlin with a degree of seriousness. “I just don’t want you to think I make a habit of kissing ball boys outside the Aorangi practice courts.”

Merlin nodded, unsure of what he should say. He _hoped_ that he had been an exception, that Ajay Pendragon had kissed _him_ because he fancied Merlin, despite the fact that Merlin was only a ball runner and sixteen. Well, Ajay _had_ said as much, hadn’t he? Still, it was hard not to feel a little insecure. This was Ajay Pendragon, renowned tennis champion, after all.

To make up for his “taking advantage” (Ajay’s words, definitely not Merlin’s), Ajay invited him to a late lunch in the restaurant of the [Millennium Building](http://imageshack.us/a/img36/7033/millenniumbuilding.jpg). Merlin not only accepted the invite but truly enjoyed his lunch, feeling quite giddy at being able to spend time with Ajay Pendragon while taking in the various sights of the All England Lawn and Tennis Club. Afterwards, Ajay attended the match in which Merlin was running base, giving Merlin a thumbs up each time he fed the players a ball, gave them a towel, or fetched them water. He was positively ridiculous and Merlin thought he’d never be able to stop grinning. 

Since it turned out Merlin wasn’t ball running for Ajay’s 7:30 doubles match, Ajay took it upon himself to invite Merlin to watch the game as his personal guest. Merlin cheered uproariously when Ajay and Lance du Lac won the match against Israel’s Sigan and Tauren in two hard-won sets, putting them victoriously through to the Quarter Finals. 

By the time he caught the train to South Kensington to return to his room at the hostel, Merlin was so high on the rollercoaster of ecstasy that he nearly missed his stop.

SIGAN/TAUREN 5-7 | 5-7 PENDRAGON/DU LAC 

**Tuesday, July 31, 2012**

Ajay spent the afternoon before the Quarter Finals Doubles match hitting some balls with Lance on [No. 3 Court](http://imageshack.us/a/img812/9940/court3.jpg) (which had been designated a practice court during the Olympics) and thinking about Merlin.

There was no denying it. Ajay was smitten with the boy. 

Every time Ajay caught sight of Merlin, his heart beat faster, his breathing became unsteady, his tongue got knotted, and it was impossible to keep the stupid-looking grin from spreading across his face. Ajay felt like a bloody schoolgirl with a crush. 

He bounced on his feet through practice, high on feelings. The way Lance kept grinning at him as they hit balls back and forth, Ajay was sure his friend thought he was love-drunk. Ajay decided that just maybe he was. 

Later, Ajay Pendragon and Lance du Lac continued on the path to Men’s Doubles Olympic glory by winning the Quarter Finals match against Spain’s Alvarez and Helios with two solid sets.

PENDRAGON/DU LAC 6-3 | 6-4 ALVAREZ/HELIOS 

**Wednesday, August 1, 2012**

PENDRAGON 6-4 | 6-4 KING _[No. 3 Court](http://imageshack.us/a/img812/9940/court3.jpg)_

Ajay had somehow persuaded Merlin to join him on No. 3 Court Wednesday afternoon after Merlin had completed all of his ball running duties. Ajay had won his Third Round match against Cenred King, pushing him through to the Singles Quarter-Finals, moving him closer to winning Gold. 

“Come on,” Ajay had coaxed, dancing around Merlin with energetic excitement. “You can help me work off some of this nervous energy.” 

Merlin knew he was a mediocre tennis player, getting the chance to play on the Mercia courts only every once in a while. He certainly wasn’t near the calibre of Ajay Pendragon or any other tennis player that had earned a spot at the Olympics . Still, he found it a thrill to be hitting balls with Ajay on the grass court, just goofing around, having fun. 

Ajay was laughing and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. Merlin supposed that, without the pressure of having to perform to win a match, Ajay could relax and just enjoy playing. He made mistakes he never would have made in a competitive game, erupting into uproarious laughter each time he made one. It was infectious and Merlin soon found himself grinning and laughing too. 

**

It turned out Merlin was a pretty decent player. He scoffed at Ajay and rolled his eyes when Ajay made the comment, but he could tell Merlin was secretly pleased. 

Ajay thought the boy looked rather fine on the court, especially using one of Ajay’s Prince rackets, which Merlin seemed to be holding onto like it was a rare treasure. His serve was strong, his play-through fair, and his backhand wicked. Already twice, Ajay had to work really hard to return the backhanded hit from Merlin.

It was one of those fantastically delivered backhands that Ajay was scrambling to return now. Laughing amiably, he moved backwards, reaching with his racket to catch the ball, unmindful of his form and technique. He managed to strike the ball with his racket but his haphazard movement threw off his balance, Ajay’s right foot tripping over his left, causing his ankle to turn.

He tumbled and hit the court turf, swearing. He rolled to sit up, grabbing for his ankle. Merlin was already at his side, his eyes wide and his face pale.

“Fuck, Ajay,” the boy expressed. “Did you turn it?”

Ajay bit his bottom lip and nodded. He could feel his ankle already beginning to throb. He gestured toward his bag at the sideline. “Get my cell phone,” he told Merlin. “Morgana’s on speed dial.” 

**

_No. 3 Court, Locker Room_

It had taken less than ten minutes for Morgana to show up, Lance du Lac in tow. Merlin looked on anxiously as Ajay’s medic-sister initially assessed the sprain, then finally asking Lance and Merlin to help Ajay up and into the locker room. 

There, they were met by Uther Pendragon, who insisted his daughter provide him with her assessment of Ajay’s injury.

“It’s a Grade 2 sprain,” Morgana told him, giving a quick glance to her brother. “There’s already considerable swelling and bruising. It needs to be elevated, iced and compressed. I’d recommend getting an air splint on it as soon as possible.”

Uther Pendragon nodded. He turned from his daughter and faced his son. Merlin could sense the impending doom hanging heavy in the air. He suddenly felt like an outsider infringing on the privacy of the Pendragon clan. He retreated further back into the locker room, looking for a way to escape gracefully. 

**

“You will forfeit your remaining singles and doubles matches,” Uther told him decisively. 

“No!” Ajay argued, suddenly angry. “Look, I know I don’t have a chance in the Singles Quarter Finals with this ankle. But Lance and I are still in the running for a medal if we make it through the Doubles Semi-Finals,” he told his father. It was down to four doubles teams now. The winners of each Semi-Final match would go on to compete for Gold and Silver. The losers would compete for Bronze. “But only _if_ I play,” he emphasized. “If we forfeit, we lose that chance completely.”

“You cannot risk further injury, Arthur,” Uther insisted. “It could hurt your long-run career.”

Ajay knew his father was simply being rational but he didn’t care. He was tired of his father always making decisions for him. Ajay was a grown man capable of deciding what he wanted. And he wanted the chance to achieve medal victory, despite the setback of an injury. His anger only festered when he saw Uther cast an accusing glance at Merlin, who was hanging back in the shadows trying his best to go unnoticed, before leaving dismissively, certain that his command would be carried out. 

Uther Pendragon’s departure left silence in its wake. Morgana wordlessly tended to Ajay’s ankle while Lance looked on with concern and Merlin slunk morosely against a wall. When Ajay couldn’t stand it anymore, he piped up. “I don’t care what my father says,” he told them. “We’re playing in that Semi-Finals match tomorrow.”

“Ajay--” Lance said.

“Listen, even if we lose the match tomorrow,” he reasoned, “we still have a shot at Bronze.” Lance gave him a doubtful look and Ajay could tell from the expression on Morgana’s face that she was on Lance’s side. “I can _do_ this, Lance,” Ajay appealed. “ _We_ can do this.”

**Thursday, August 2, 2012**  
 _SEMI-FINALS Men’s Doubles_

As could have been predicted, Ajay’s sprained ankle was the major handicap in the Doubles Semi-Finals match against the Bryan brothers of Team USA. Valiante and King ended up not fairing any better against Llodra and Tsonga of Team France but it was a much harder fought defeat. 

BRYAN/BRYAN 6-2 | 6-2 PENDRAGON/DU LAC  VALIANTE/KING 3-6 | 6-4 | 16-18 LLODRA/TSONGA 

But even _losing_ their Semi-Finals match, there was still a chance Ajay Pendragon and Lance du Lac would end up going home with a medal.

_Olympic Village, Heritage Block One, Building One, Floor Seven, Apartment 25_

Ajay had thought about whether it would have been better to go to where Merlin was staying instead of the Village, but Merlin had said he was sharing a small hostel room with a friend in South Kensington, which didn’t exactly afford much privacy, and with Ajay’s injured ankle... Besides, with the boast that “What happens in the Village stays in the Village”, his footy player apartment mates at _The Globe_ most of the time, and Lance having opted to stay in [Morgana’s room](http://imageshack.us/a/img641/1899/chhroom.jpg) at Cannizaro for the night, Ajay figured it was probably best to bring Merlin to his current accommodations for privacy’s sake – not that Ajay had any lecherous designs on the boy that would require any kind of privacy.

Ajay did somehow manage to get Merlin into the Village as his guest using the excuse that his personal sports medic had instructed that Ajay be attended to by her young ‘assistant-in-training’. Which was true, more or less.

After some doubting eyebrow raises and a call to Morgana for confirmation (Ajay could practically hear the amusement in his sister’s voice through the line as she gave ‘confirmation’ of her instructions and knew he’d be getting a text from her just as soon as he was in his rooms), and Merlin’s passport had been submitted, checked and verified, Ajay was finally allowed, with Merlin’s dutiful assistance, to take the lift to the seventh floor. Whoever said the Village was a hedonistic free-for-all with lax security obviously didn’t know what they were talking about.

Inside the apartment, Ajay gestured his grand tour of the [lounge area](http://imageshack.us/a/img525/3779/apt25lounge.jpg). Then he moved to the blue sofa, casting the decorative pillows aside, and flopped down, propping his foot up onto the coffee table. “Go ahead and check out the rest,” he told Merlin, removing the air splint ankle brace Morgana had insisted he wear. He slipped a pink pillow under his foot and moulded the ice pack to his ankle.

Merlin dropped his backpack next to the sofa then went off to take the self-tour of the apartment. He returned to the lounge five minutes later with comment. “Gotta be pretty secure in your masculinity to live here, huh? With all these bright blues, greens, and pinks. At least the [bathroom’s](http://imageshack.us/a/img844/1750/apt25bathroom.jpg) mostly white.”

Ajay tilted his head back and laughed. Gwaine Knight had made a similar remark on the first day they had all arrived. “Most of the athletes here probably don’t take much notice,” he said. “I’m sure they’re too busy getting up to other things.”

He watched as Merlin pursed his luscious, pink lips, his eyes seeming to narrow. “My friend Wills says staying in the Village is like one big Bonk Fest,” he said, his tone conveying a mixture of disapproval, curiosity and, rather surprisingly, _jealousy_. Ajay found it incredibly endearing.

He chuckled and the scowl Merlin was trying to keep off his face deepened. Did the boy really imagine Ajay was part of some Bonkathon with his fellow world athletes?

“The only one doing any bonking is my room-slash-teammate and doubles partner,” Ajay reassured him. “And, yes, he’s bonking my sister.” He watched Merlin’s eyebrows shoot up. “But not in there,” he told the boy, jerking his thumb in the direction of the shared bedroom. “Trust me, there is nothing more embarrassing than catching your sister enthusiastically riding your best mate.”

This did the trick to pull a grin from Merlin and Ajay revelled in the way it lit up the boy’s face, showcasing crinkly eyes and – bloody fudge – _dimples_. He patted the seat cushion beside him. “Come here,” he commanded gently.

Merlin did come but he didn’t take the proffered seat. Instead, Ajay found himself with a lap full of Merlin, as the boy climbed on top of his lap and straddled him. Merlin grinned mischievously at him, his face – and lips – barely an inch away from Ajay’s. Ajay felt his heart thump and his cock twitch.

Before he could make comment, Merlin closed the meagre distance between them, fitting his mouth against Ajay’s, kissing him wetly, poking his tongue at the seam of Ajay’s mouth to gain entrance. Ajay parted his lips to let him in, and Merlin slid his tongue alongside his, tentatively exploring.

Ajay let Merlin explore with his tongue and lips. When Merlin finally pulled back to catch his breath, Ajay couldn’t help but notice the boy looked positively wrecked – bow lips kiss-swollen, blue eyes lust-glazed, prominent cheekbones dusted pink, ragged breaths well...ragged.

“I want you,” Merlin said and Ajay’s body shuddered in betrayal. What this boy did to him. “I want to kiss you. Touch you.” He licked his lips and swallowed, the Adam’s Apple on that long, pale neck bobbing enticingly. “Suck you.” 

Bloody fiddlefudge.

Ajay wanted nothing more than to give into temptation and bed this boy. But he needed to play it very carefully. Merlin was of legal age, yes, but he was still young. _Sixteen_ young. And Ajay did not feel right messing with the kid’s hormonal-induced emotions, purely to satisfy his own desire and craving. Especially when there was every possibility that what Merlin was feeling for him was simply heightened ‘hero worship’ amped up by teenaged lust. 

So when Merlin leaned forward to retake his mouth, Ajay lifted the boy up from his lap and settled him back a bit, ignoring the look of hurt that flashed in those blue eyes. 

“Just kissing,” Ajay told him in the sternest voice he could conjure, intent on setting the ground rules. Merlin needed boundaries. And so did Ajay.

“Okay,” Merlin capitulated but looked disappointed. He slotted his mouth against Ajay’s and began kissing anew.

They kissed and kissed. Ajay had slid his leg and foot down from the table in order to settle Merlin more securely onto his lap, the swelling of his ankle and the ice pack forgotten as their tongues danced a delicious tango. 

Ajay’s dick was hard and he was certain Merlin’s was also. But he refused to let them gain relief by engaging in anything other than kissing. At one point, Merlin pushed his hips forward, grinding into him. Despite the pleasure that came with the friction created by the joining of their erections, Ajay growled a warning, “ _Mer_ lin!”

Merlin retreated but it didn’t stop him from trying to grind into him another two times.

They were so engrossed in kissing that they didn’t hear the footy players let themselves into the apartment until Knight exclaimed, “Ho!”, causing Merlin to scramble back on Ajay’s lap, nearly falling to the floor.

“Don’t mind us,” the fit footballer said, grinning in a way that made Ajay feel like a lecher. “Just passing through. By all means, carry on.”

Not even attempting to hide their smirks, the two footy players ambled their way across the lounge to Room A.

The appearance of the footballers made Ajay wonder what time it must be. He glanced at his watch. Eleven-thirty. Early for Gwaine and Percy to be turning in but late for Merlin to still be at his apartment in the Village.

“It’s late,” he told Merlin, who was still seated on his lap. “I’ll call you a cab.”  
The boy pouted and Ajay nearly lost his mind. “Can’t I stay here tonight?” Merlin asked coyly.

“I really don’t think that’s a good idea,” Ajay told him. The pout continued and Ajay found himself staring at Merlin’s lips. It was so not fair.

“I don’t ball run a match until noon,” Merlin reasoned with obvious intent to persuade. “And there’s no doubles match scheduled for tomorrow. _And_ you told security that I’d be helping you with your ankle...”

“Merlin...”

“I promise I’ll be good,” the boy said, licking his lips in a way that suggested he’d be anything but.

In the end, though, Ajay gave in – either too tired to argue about it or too lust-addled to resist. After giving Merlin a clean pair of his sleep pants and changing into his own pair, and arguing over where Merlin should sleep (Lance’s vacant bed was the most logical place, although the sofa in the lounge was probably safer), somehow Ajay found himself sharing his single bed with his teenaged guest.

It was a miracle that either one of them fell asleep with their limbs tangled awkwardly and so much unresolved sexual tension hanging in the air. But they were both sound asleep and snoring exactly three and a half minutes after Ajay covered them with the colourful sports duvet.

**Friday, August 3, 2012**

When Merlin woke, it took him a few moments to remember where he was. Olympic Village, Floor Seven, Apartment 25, Room B – _Ajay’s room_. He scrubbed a hand over his face.

Will certainly would be proud. Merlin had spent the night in Ajay Pendragon’s room (and bed) in the notorious Athletes Village. Not that anything had happened between them. Certainly, no _sex_ had happened. Merlin hadn’t even seen any Olympic-themed or –coloured condoms about. Just _kissing_ had happened. That was all Ajay had let him do. 

Still, Merlin felt the twinge of shame. He had taken advantage of Ajay, by coaxing him into kissing then to let him stay the night and then letting Merlin into his bed. Ajay had been tired and hurt, _and_ was popping painkillers. He had just lost all hope of winning a medal in the Men’s Singles and was desparately trying to hold onto the chance at Bronze in the Men’s Doubles. Merlin never should have let teenaged lust and desire get the better of him, initiating the kissing – the _brilliant_ kissing, mind – that had lasted several fantastic hours.

But he was a boy in love. And boys in love did stupid things.

He could hear the murmur of voices beyond the closed door of the bedroom. Ajay, obviously, as Merlin had woken up in the small bed alone, and probably one or both of the footballers. Merlin really did not want to call attention to his having stayed the night in Ajay’s room, not in front of Knight or Strong (he remembered their smirks when they had come upon Merlin in Ajay’s lap, lips locked and tongues tangled), but he had to pee. Badly. 

So he pushed back the Olympic duvet and climbed out of bed, pulling the bedroom door open quietly. He barely gave a glance to the lounge as he made a dart for the bathroom.

Merlin closed the bathroom door and leaned back against it. His glance had registered two figures in the lounge: Ajay, who was sat back on the sofa and wouldn’t have seen him and Uther Pendragon, Ajay’s father. Merlin knew Ajay’s father _had_ seen him as he had made the quick dash from Ajay’s room to the bathroom. There had been no mistaking the hard anger in those eyes when Merlin had briefly caught the man’s glance.

Fuck.

Merlin waited for as long as possible before coming out of the bathroom, hoping that the silence now coming from the lounge meant that Ajay’s father had left.

“I’m sorry,” Merlin said, coming to stand at the end of the sofa.

Ajay looked up, surprised, then his brows furrowed. “For what?”

 _For throwing myself at you and then pissing your father off with my face_ , he wanted to say but instead he said, “For making you sprain your ankle and causing you to lose the chance of winning a gold medal.” Now that he had said it out loud, Merlin figured Uther Pendragon had reason to despise him.

Ajay pulled himself up off the sofa and ambled over to Merlin. He lifted his hand and gently ran his knuckles over Merlin’s cheekbone. “It’s not your fault, Merlin,” he said softly. “These things happen. Look what happened to Nadal. He missed the whole thing because of a stupid knee injury!” He gave Merlin a smile. “I made it through the Singles Third Round and Lance and I still have the chance to capture Bronze. Whatever happens, I’m thrilled to have made it this far.”

“Even if you don’t win a medal?”

“Even if I don’t win a medal.” 

Merlin must not have seemed convinced because Ajay suddenly leaned his head in and touched his lips to Merlin’s, kissing him softly. Merlin felt his heart constrict then swell.

Ajay grinned as he pulled back. “Now let’s get you showered and into a cab on your way to the All England Club,” he said. “You’ve got ball boy duties to perform.”

“What about you?” Merlin asked.

“ _I_ have been ordered by Morgana and my father to do nothing today except keeping my foot elevated and applying ice for twenty on and off.”

“Lucky you,” Merlin commented. 

“Hmm, yes,” said Ajay. He grabbed Merlin’s shoulders, turned him toward the bathroom, and prodded him forward. “Now off you go,” he said fondly, giving Merlin’s behind a gentle tap.

Merlin did what he was told.

“And just so you know?” Merlin heard Ajay say before closing the bathroom door behind him. “You snore like a bear and hog all the covers.”

Merlin snorted a laugh and grinned.

_The Dragon’s Breath Youth Hostel, Room 12_

Will was sprawled on the bottom bunk when Merlin finally returned.

“Merlin, you dog!” Will verbally accosted, giving Merlin a look of impressed admiration. “You totally did the nasty with him, didn’t you?”

Merlin rolled his eyes. “For fuck sakes, Will, I did not do the ‘nasty’ with him!” Really, ‘doing the nasty’ was such a ridiculous euphemism for having sex. Only Will used words like that.

Will raised an eyebrow. “How come?” he wanted to know. “The tennis hottie banging someone else?”

 _And_ words like “banging”. Merlin rolled his eyes _again_. 

“No, he’s not banging someone else –,” he told Will, “-well, at least I don’t think he is...” _Oh God_ , thought Merlin, _was_ Ajay banging someone else? He covered his face with his hands, suddenly feeling stupid. Of course. Just because Merlin thought he knew everything about Ajay Pendragon and was not aware the tennis player had a significant other, didn’t mean Ajay didn’t have one – some treasured girlfriend or boyfriend – that he kept private about.

Merlin groaned.

“Look, mate, I was only teasing,” Will said, having tuned into where Merlin’s thoughts had obviously headed.

“No, Will,” he said, now feeling miserable. “You’re probably right.” Merlin blew out a sigh. “I’m so stupid. Here I am all kinds of in love with Ajay Pendragon and all I am to him is probably some quick, fleeting distraction.” That was probably why Ajay had only let Merlin kiss him, he decided. Kissing was pretty low on the cheating scale, wasn’t it?

Will tried to cheer him up by suggesting they go to the pub across the street from the hostel and try to get served but Merlin, claiming exhaustion, told Will he just wanted to go to bed.

Once settled into the top bunk, Merlin glanced at the time on his iPhone and suddenly realized that he hadn’t gotten a text from Ajay all day. (They had echanged numbers the day they had lunched at the Millennium and had been texting back and forth the past couple of days.) Merlin frowned, his suspicions rising, his mood plummeting further. 

Feeling rather testy, he shoved the phone under the thin mattress of the bed so as not to be tempted to send Ajay some sappy lovesick text wishing him a goodnight.

**Saturday, August 4, 2012**  
 _BRONZE MEDAL MATCH Men’s Doubles, Valiante/King vs Pendragon/du Lac,[Centre Court](http://imageshack.us/a/img705/2698/centrecourt.jpg)_

This was it, thought Ajay. His and Lance’s chance to leave the London Olympics with a medal. 

Really, there was no pressure. His father had only impressed upon him the foolhardiness of his decision to continue playing in the Doubles with a sprained ankle, risking more serious injury that would likely have detrimental effects on his long-term tennis career. But he had also impressed upon Ajay that winning a medal, even bronze, in London would do much to carry on the Pendragon legacy that had started with his mother, who had been a talented, up and rising tennis star before Ajay had been born. Ajay also knew that Lance would support any decision he made, but this was Lance’s chance at Olympic glory too and Ajay did not want to disappoint him. He did not want to disappoint Morgana either, who had supported Ajay and his sports career his entire life. And there was Merlin – the ball boy who was probably Ajay’s biggest fan and whom Ajay desparately wanted to impress. He couldn’t let Merlin down. 

So yeah, absolutely no pressue. 

But Merlin was here at least, running ball for the match. And somehow that calmed Ajay and made him feel more confident. He could do this.

The first game of the first set was just about to get underway when Ajay noticed his father at the sideline, in discussion with the head umpire. What the bloody fiddlesticks was going on?

He ambled his way over, careful not to put too much pressure on his ankle. Morgana had wrapped it tightly and it felt reasonably good, but Ajay did not want to push it. They had twelve games to win.

“What’s going on?” he asked, a pointed look directed at his father.

“I am requesting that the boy be replaced,” his father replied, waving his arm at Merlin.

“What? Why?”

Uther levelled him with a gaze that Ajay knew was meant to convey a message. “I am afraid he is too much of a distraction.”

Too much of a distraction? Ajay couldn’t believe it. His father was attempting to have Merlin ejected because he thought the ball boy was a distraction Ajay couldn’t afford in this match? 

Ajay gave Merlin, who looked pale and was obviously upset, a sympathetic look. It wasn’t the boy’s fault that Ajay’s father was a controlling, meddlesome brute. Surely, the ump would recognize that and deny the request. Really, who had ball boys removed before the match had even begun?

But apparently the umpire saw wisdom in the request and sided with Uther Pendragon. To Ajay’s surprise (and no doubt Merlin’s), he indicated that Merlin was dismissed and called for a ball runner to replace him. 

**

Merlin couldn’t believe this was happening. Uther Pendragon was having him dismissed from the match and replaced by another ball runner, a boy named George. It wasn’t fair. This was the only medal match Merlin was going to get to serve in. And Ajay and Lance were playing for Bronze! Now he was being asked to leave Centre Court and wouldn’t even get to watch the match. 

Morgana Pendragon was suddenly beside him, linking an arm through his. “It’s okay, Merlin,” she said, smiling sweetly at her father. “You can be part of Team Pendragon today.” Uther Pendragon narrowed his eyes at his daughter, setting his mouth in a hard, grim line. Ignoring her father entirely, Morgana pulled Merlin beyond the boundary of the sideline to the area designated for medical personnel.

The match was called to start. 

“Your father hates me,” said Merlin miserably to Morgana, flicking a glance at Uther Pendragon, who had settled in his prime front row seat, his eyes fixed on the court.

“My father is a pompous arse who seems to forget that my brother is a big boy,” Morgana returned. 

Merlin grinned, impressed by her boldness in talking about her father’s shortcomings. If he didn’t already have a crush on Ajay Pendragon, Merlin might have developed one on _Morgana_ Pendragon.

Lance and Ajay managed to take the first set, the needed six games to four. The second set, however, went less smoothly. It was obvious Ajay was hurting, his ankle becoming weaker as the match played on. Valiante and King were doing a good job of zeroing in on the pair’s weakness and, despite some fantastically impressive plays by Lance du Lac, the team from Italy took the second set, six games to three.

This meant Pendragon and du Lac had just one more shot at capturing Bronze. 

They were down the first two games in the third set when Ajay, trying to return a difficult shot played by King, put too much pressure on his foot, causing his ankle to give out, making him miss the play, stumble, and land on the court.

A whistle blew and Morgana jumped up, racing onto the court toward Ajay, dragging a befuddled and worried Merlin along with her.

“Look,” said Lance, crouching down next to his doubles partner. “We don’t have to do this, Ajay. It’s not worth risking long-term injury to your ankle. If we need to forfeit, I’m okay with that.”

Ajay was shaking his head. “I’m not giving up, Lance. I came to play, remember? No matter what, I’m going to see this through.” He turned his attention to Morgana. “It just needs to be wrapped a little tighter,” he instructed.

Morgana worked on winding the tensor bandage around her brother’s ankle more snugly while Lance waited, hands on hips, to give the officials the go-ahead to continue the match. Merlin sat next to and facing Ajay on the turf, hovering, resisting the urge to cover Ajay’s hand supportively with his own.

Needless to say, Merlin was caught completely by surprise when Ajay put a hand to the back of his neck, pulling his head forward, and kissed him. Right there on Centre Court. During the Bronze Medal Match. In front of 15,000 people. Including Uther Pendragon.

Ajay moved his mouth from Merlin’s lips to his ear and whispered, “I needed that.” Merlin could feel the warmth of Ajay’s smile at his temple. “I’m okay now,” he announced, not taking his eyes off Merlin. He gave Merlin a wink as he hauled himself up. “Time to win this thing.”

Ajay was true to his word. After the two-game setback, they played their way to the six game win needed to clinch the set. The crowd erupted into cheers, Morgana gathered Merlin to her ample bosom in a vice-grip, and Lance and Ajay gave hearty double fist-pumps. 

Ajay Pendragon and Lance du Lac had done it. They had beaten Italy’s Valiante and King to capture Bronze.

VALIANTE/KING 4-6 | 6-3 | 2-6 PENDRAGON/DU LAC 

“So what now?” Merlin asked. “Off to Disneyland?”

Ajay chuckled. “No,” he said, giving Merlin a coy smile. “After I sit back and enjoy Week Two of the Olympics and start the physio on my ankle Morgana has already prescribed for me, I think I’m going to head to a little town called Ealdor.” 

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Ajay replied. “I hear the people there think tennis is a posh sport.” He grinned at Merlin. “Besides, there’s a really cute ball boy there I want to spend some time getting to know better.” 

“Will there be kissing?” Merlin asked.

Ajay nodded. “A _lot_ of kissing.”

Merlin reached out and fingered the bronze medal hanging around Ajay’s neck playfully. “Suppose we can get started on that ahead of time?” he asked boldly.

Ajay tilted his head and smiled. “I suppose we can,” he replied, already ducking his head in to kiss the boy.


End file.
